Re: Blaivas JG. 2004. Ghost unwriting. Neurourol Urodynam 23:287.
✍ Scribed by Alan J. Wein
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2006
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 48 KB
- Volume
- 25
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0733-2467
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
You recently wrote an editorial about ''ghostwriting. '' Actually, when one of your residents or associates writes a major chapter or paper or abstract or makes a presentation for you to deliver, that is really ghostwriting. Sometimes, depending on the circumstances you may even put your name ¢rst! We all present work at meeting that has been done primarily by others, and perhaps the major part has been done by them. That falls under the same category.
If one includes these under the global term ''ghostwriting, '' then this is perfectly ¢ne in my opinion if the ''author'' dictates the subject, the outline, the viewpoint(s). He/she can also provide, ideally, a list of references as a starting point. Then, the ''author'' must review each draft and clearly outline changes, additions, deletions, which must be a part of the ¢nal submission. If anyone allows something to go out under his/her name, then he/she disagrees with, or worse, does not read at all, he/she is, in my opinion, just plain crazy or worse, does not care, which is reprehensible.
I agree, that taken to an extreme, the practice is undesirable, but, for much of the spectrum, I think that the term needs to be quali¢ed, because I think current practices, as employed by most, are acceptable.